Internal Wave Generation by Convection in a Sphere

POSTER

Abstract

When a stably-stratified fluid layer lies adjacent to a convective fluid layer, the convection can excite internal gravity waves in the stably-stratified fluid. Here we present a set of numerical simulations of wave generation by convection in spherical geometry using the Dedalus code. The convection is either driven by internal heating in the case of a full sphere (extending to r=0), or a bottom boundary condition in the case of a spherical shell. A piece-wise linear equation of state causes a transition from a lower convective layer to an upper stably-stratified layer. We calculate the frequency- and wavenumber-dependence of the excited waves as a function of the properties of the convection, the equation of state, and the geometry of the system. The waves are compared to waves generated by convection in cartesian geometry.

Authors

  • Daniel Lecoanet

    • Princeton University
    • Northwestern University

  • Matteo Cantiello

    • Flatiron Institute

  • Keaton Burns

    • MIT

  • Eliot Quataert

    • Princeton University

  • Louis Couston

    • University of Lyon/ENS Lyon

  • Geoffrey Vasil

    • University of Sydney

  • Benjamin Brown

    • CU-Boulder

  • Jeffrey Oishi

    • Bates College